Personal Website

[OMGSTUFF 2]

Alright, people, here's the deal.

I'm a writer. Of poetry.

I bought a domain and hosting plan with the intent of displaying poetry/maintaining a blog, etc.

The poetry can't be copy/pastable, so I was going to try to use flash.

It doesn't have to be extremely complicated, I prefer a more minimalistic approach, but it has to look crisp/clean/professional/awesome.

 

 

I'm not artistically inclined, so I'm thinking flash is a bad idea.

 

Any suggestions, you tech savy design geniuses?

[Schot 407]

Sounds like fun OMGstuff.

 

I'd definitely suggest searching for a free template to start with. There are tons of them that can be found if you do a search on the net. Only thing to keep in mind is the version of whatever template you use making sure that the version you get will be compatible with the flash software you'll be using. Oh and there are tons of tutorials as well.

 

Unfortunately I have yet to get to know flash so my knowledge is very limited.

I WILL learn it though. Someday... It's just too cool.

[gogoblender 3,071]

ahhh, Omg, I'd forgotten you were a poet! Gotta ask...is it something you just have to do every day? I read somewhere that writers do that...they feel compelled to write. I think it was stephen king who answered, when someone asked him, how does he come up with all his ideas and he just answered he doesn't know. That he just has to write, it's what he does and luckily for him the stuff he writes sells

 

Regarding your website, there's not much that I can offer. However, Ari here has her own jewelry site I think. If she catches this thread I'm sure she'll have lots of goodies to offer.

 

 

gogo

[Ike 1]

Another, tech-lite possibility is simply to make image files, .jpg, etc. Get some nice parchment background and use paintshop/photoshop to add in the text. I did something similar on some diaries for a role-playing game character.

[OMGSTUFF 2]

Another, tech-lite possibility is simply to make image files, .jpg, etc. Get some nice parchment background and use paintshop/photoshop to add in the text. I did something similar on some diaries for a role-playing game character.

This is definitely something I thought of & kind of forgot about. Definitely a cool idea. I just don't know how I'd display them exactly. I want a central display for every page of the entire site & my javascript skills are non-present.

 

 

And gogo, yes, I do write every day, in one way or another. A lot of ideas start off as a sentence and get finished later. Writers all have their own style, and rather than writing in a linear way, I'd say mine is more a grab bag... I.e. if I start something, and don't feel that I can finish it in the best way immediately, I'll just paste it in a text file and come back to it later.

 

Along with that, there's this artistic pressure that I think a lot of artists (in all forms of media, not just writing) feel. If I DON'T write, I feel this pressure, almost guilty, like it's something I HAVE to do.

[erialc 2]

It doesn't have to be extremely complicated, I prefer a more minimalistic approach, but it has to look crisp/clean/professional/awesome.

 

I'm no web designer nor have |I tried much of this stuff. My sister is building a site for our jewellery but as you said minimal I think that would be the best way to go. After all your words will be the doorway to the imagination so why clutter it up with graphical distractions.

 

Well ofc Stuff this is just imho. There is a site I just can't get to it in my mind :justcus: that I will try to link you to of this artist which is really minimal graphoically yet each link has a cool sound, maybe that would be something you would like to explore?

 

Anyways I really hope you get your site up and running and it helps you flow creatively ....I'd love to come read some of your work once you have it up and running. All the best with it Stuff.

[Arilaftia 0]

hmm Let me think on this a bit, I dont have any mean of protecting any of my images that I could afford, so I have to plaster my name on every one. So at least if someone will swipe anything they will have to battle removing the text. I know basic html.. learning through Front Page as I go and keeping what looks pretty I really like the idea that Ike had, I can see how that would be really impressive, so I have an idea..I am trying to find the software program thats is cheep and easy to use that creates a double image.. so if someone tries to swipe it, all they get is a blank gif But its alluding me right now.. but Ill keep looking!

[OMGSTUFF 2]

hmm Let me think on this a bit, I dont have any mean of protecting any of my images that I could afford, so I have to plaster my name on every one. So at least if someone will swipe anything they will have to battle removing the text. I know basic html.. learning through Front Page as I go and keeping what looks pretty I really like the idea that Ike had, I can see how that would be really impressive, so I have an idea..I am trying to find the software program thats is cheep and easy to use that creates a double image.. so if someone tries to swipe it, all they get is a blank gif But its alluding me right now.. but Ill keep looking!

 

As far as protecting your image files, you can disable the ability to right click. Here's a link with instructions: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex9/noright.htm

[Arilaftia 0]

Ah yes, But I was thinking a bit more challenging. Right click can be disabled pretty easily depending on the browser being used. So the info Im trying to find on the double image will protect them more securely. (Although if you have a really smart and resourceful person who is determined to take it.. nothing is really safe on the net unfortunately. Although I did find a company that will protect everything for an insane amount of money per year!

 

Like this one for 500$ http://www.artistscope.com/copysafe/index.html

 

I know there is a cheaper and easier way to accomplish the same thing, Im determined to find it!

[Yarasa 0]

I will suggest you to use one of the followings

http://www.joomla.org/

http://www.mamboserver.com/

http://wordpress.org/

 

they are all content managers and they are not so hard to use.

all has their forums and you could find all of your answers there.

 

I am currently using word press for the company I work www.linders.com

 

I strongly recommend you joomla. It is mambo's brother. Mambo is much more stable but joomla has much more plug-ins available. You could personalize your page using those plug-ins and themes.

 

I am going on vacation starting on monday. I will try to answer all your questions by then. I am not a pro but I had enough experience the answer your basic questions.

[Funkilicious 1]

Though one recommendation if you are going to use joomla is to keep up with all the updates, there are "script kiddies" who find the holes just because they can. It is a known headache for my host.

[Yarasa 0]

As far as protecting your image files, you can disable the ability to right click. Here's a link with instructions: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex9/noright.htm

There are always get around for those type of protections. So never trust any scripts says they are protecting. They can protect from certain level user but not from the experts.

 

As long as you post it, nothing is safe on the web. If someone really want it, they will get it.

[Funkilicious 1]

As long as you post it, nothing is safe on the web. If someone really want it, they will get it.

 

Exactly if it is the word you are trying to protect, ok copy and paste is the easiest, but there is always long hand so words can't be protected as well as graphics.

[fRACTAL 0]

Well a user of any level could steal your poetry, if they really wanted to, no matter how it was protected...

They could just type it up, so just give it decent protection, it doesn't have to be extreme

~Doom

[OMGSTUFF 2]

team team team,

my concern with text vs images is that anything written IN an image is generally held to be a bit better in terms of presentation and much less likely to be ganked by the average AIM slut.

I understand that if someone wants to type/longhand something up and pretend, that's always an option, but it's about 100 times more effort than a copy/paste.

 

 

at any rate,

I found a way to display images that I generally do like.

other than that, I haven't done anything, but you can check the minimal progress @

http://www.matthewbakerthompson.com

 

and let me know what you think.

 

 

I've got a lot more to do (web store, email subscription list, blog etc), but I want to keep it as minimalist as possible.

 

 

 

Thank you, everyone for your help!

[Arilaftia 0]

oooooooo Thats fantastic!!

and adds so much more to poetry than just black and white!!

[OMGSTUFF 2]

oooooooo Thats fantastic!!

and adds so much more to poetry than just black and white!!

Thanks a lot.

I'm treating the photo/website thing as a kind of... blog I suppose. It's not... as... "serious" as anything else (as the haughty Engrish gods look down), but I mean it to be fun.

[erialc 2]

Excellent work Stuff I love the pics and the way you have used them

[gogoblender 3,071]

I was just at your site, OMG...very, very nice. I really appreciate the minimalist look, and the coding you've got going to get to your poems is very sharp and still artistic at the same time.

Just can't see wait to see where you keep goin with this.

 

gogo

[Schot 407]

Ah very cool OMGSTUFF. Glad to see you're up and running. I like "There comes a time..." Reminds me of something I drew a long time ago about feeling very different from everyone else. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that.

[Funkilicious 1]

Oh you achieved exactly what you wanted, and a great site to boot, congrats

[OMGSTUFF 2]

Thanks, everyone for the kind words. I'll be updating it as regularly as I can, so feel free to drop in. Now I just need to figure out what I'll do for a menu/etc.